A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbytery in Scotland, or, A modest and…A peaceable and temperate plea for Pauls presbyterie in Scotland, or, A modest and…

Answ. The Major is false, and not proved from Gen. 17. or Rom. 4 for neither of these places speak of nearest Parents, father and mother one at least; the Text beareth no such thing, but the contrary. These are to receive the seal of the covenant whose fore-fathers are in external profession within the covenant; for God commandeth not Abraham only to circumcise his sons, but all parents descended of Abraham to circumcise their seed, the seed of Abraham carnally descended to all generations: and so the nearest parents only are not to be looked unto.

Answ. The Major is false, and not proved from Gen. 17. or Rom. 4 for neither of these places speake of nearest Parents, father and mother one at least; the Text beareth no such thing, but the contrary. These are to receive the seale of the covenant whose fore-fathers are in externall profession within the covenant; for God commandeth not Abraham only to circumcise his sons, but all parents descended of Abraham to circumcise their seed, the seed of Abraham carnally descended to all generations: and so the nearest parents only are not to be looked unto.

2. This argument doth either proceed according to this meaning, that these infants only are to receive the seal of the covenant whose parents are within the covenant by an inward ingrafting and union by true faith, besides the external professing thereof; or then there is no other thing required, but only external profession, that the Church without sin may confer the ⟨p. 173⟩seals; if the former be said, it will follow that God speaketh, Gen. 17. only to Abraham and his sons by faith, according to the promise, and only to believers; but God speaketh to all Abraham's sons according to the flesh. 2. Because God should speak an untruth, that he were a God by real union of faith to all that are commanded to be circumcised; for he commanded thousands to be circumcised to whom he was not a God by real union of faith: therefore these words must import, that nothing is more required, that the Church without sin may confer the seal of the covenant, but the children to be descended of parents professing the truth and faith, although the parents indeed, as concerning any real union of faith, be plain strangers to the covenant, and members of the Church only as an arm of wood is a member of the body, which being true, as it must be said, the assumption is weak and sick. or the question is, what it is to be externally within the covenant, it is not to slay all known sins, to be a chosen people, a people taught of God (for then God would not have commanded Joshua Chap. 5. to circumcise all Israel, because their fathers externally were within the covenant) as this argument would say; for their fathers were a generation of unbelievers who knew not God, who tempted him and grieved his holy Spirit in the wilderness, and professed themselves by their murmuring never to be truly within the covenant. Then to profess the doctrine of the covenant is but to be borne Jews, and avow the Lord in external profession, and